Social media has been proven to be a great source of intelligence. Often the people posting content seem to underestimate the relevance and potential consequences. On November 25th, the following story was reported by ESPN:

“Johnny Manziel has been replaced by Josh McCown as the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, the team announced Tuesday. One week after being named the team’s starter, Manziel has been demoted to third-string quarterback for Monday night’s game against the Baltimore Ravens after social media posts surfaced this week showing Manziel allegedly partying last weekend in Texas during the team’s bye week.”

In this instance, Manziel’s actions were posted online and cost him not being able to play with the A team. Many times the consequences are more serious as social media investigations become mainstream. Quite often HR professionals conduct a high-level social media check as part of the recruitment process. Speaking to a recruitment manager at a fortune 500 company I learned that their process includes a criminal background check, credit history, reference checks and a social media investigation. This can be an automated investigation resulting in a clear report (footprint) delivered within 24 hours. If there is a desire for additional information, a footprint can be extended to social media surveillance. For a specified amount of time, the person of interest is followed on a defined number of social media sites. This search can also include past posts and an analysis of the information found. This can result in a comprehensive report potentially giving away a large amount of information.

Unfortunately Johnny Manziel did not read this blog or other related articles about the topic. The fact that people are warned does not seem to make a difference. The social media world continues to give away many clues about someone’s character and behaviours.

Working in the security industry, the conversations in my home typically entail security and loss prevention. I recently went shopping with my kids and as we walked into the store, my 10 year old son says, “Mommy, where are the cameras?” I explained to him where the CCTV cameras were positioned and the many reasons why they are used. I continued telling him that some stores invest in them to identify theft and ensure the safety of their customers and employees.

Last week I was in Calgary for a business trip. When I told my kids that I would be away, my daughter says, “We don’t want you to go, but be safe and come home fast.” My son on the other hand, starts giving me a travel security plan. Given that we know a few people in the province – he started naming off a list of homes to go to if I needed any help in Alberta.

Children are astute and listen to the world around them more then we realize.